Which 3 Stocks Moved the Dow in 2011?

Investors can thank the srong performance in three companies this year for almost all the gains in the Dow.

In fact, of the 576- point gain this year, 564 points came from those three stocks — IBM , McDonald's and Chevron.

Within the S&P 500 , Bank of America alone provided a 9-point hit to the index this year. That accounts for more than the index’s 6 point loss in 2011. Other large financial companies such as Goldman Sachs have not helped either.

Indeed, four of the five stocks with the most negative impact on the S&P 500 are in the financials sector. Which stocks helped offset some of those losses? Apple , Exxon Mobil and IBM.

The Nasdaq Composite is down 60 points this year, but the Nasdaq 100 (the largest nonfinancial firms at the Nasdaq) is up 52 points. The QQQ ETF, which tracks the performance Nasdaq 100 has been most impacted by Apple. The tech giant has contributed 63 points to the Nasdaq 100’s gain this year.